Dehavilland DHC 6 TWIN OTTER accident near Pepperell, Massachusetts, August 23, 2014
On August 23, 2014 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1967 Dehavilland DHC 6 TWIN OTTER, registered N202EH, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Pepperell, Massachusetts (Pepperell Airport). It was a skydiving flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 10 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inadvertent collision with a bird, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 2014 · about 5:00 pm local time · cases in 2014
- Place
- Pepperell, Massachusetts · Pepperell Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 10 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dehavilland DHC 6 TWIN OTTER, built 1967 · all DHC 6 TWIN OTTERs on the register
- Registration
- N202EH · registry record · serial 48
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While climbing through 2,500 feet after takeoff, the pilot observed a red-tailed hawk approaching the airplane from below. The hawk impacted the left wing, and the pilot elected to perform a precautionary landing. The airplane subsequently landed without incident. Postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the left wing.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Birdstrike during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,873.6 hours in all; 374.5 in this make and model; 349.5 in the last 90 days; 130 in the last 30 days; 1,810.3 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 42,864 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 30, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 11,579 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27 (turboprop); 15,530 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27 (turboprop); 24,405 hours total
- Operator: Skydive Factory, Inc
The flight
- Departed from: 26MA Pepperell MA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: 26MA Pepperell MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 2,820 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from KASH, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 9 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on January 21, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record - FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 1 - Left Wing (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N202EH on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Dehavilland DHC-6 114 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Dehavilland 861 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27 28 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27 28 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Pepperell Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Massachusetts 987 since 1982 · 90 in the last ten years
- Massachusetts 2,645 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA14CA419.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.